In vitro multiplication of hoodia plants

Abstract

A tissue culture micropropagation process for Hoodia plants, which achieves new shoots in the multiplication stage of the process by using an inventive combination of phytohormones.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to micropropagation via tissue culture for Hoodia plants, particularly the multiplication stage of the micropropagation.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Hoodia genus of plants are succulent desert plants which belong to Apocynaceae family. The Apocynaceae family includes numerous other genera of plants. Hoodia plants grow predominantly in South Africa. Hoodia gordonii also grows in Botswana and Namibia. Certain actives obtainable from Hoodia plants, e.g. steroidal glycosides, have been shown to have appetite suppressant activity and to be useful in weight management products. Many of these species, e.g. Hoodia gordonii, are on the endangered list, so that collection of the wild plants is not possible. Commercial cultivation and harvesting of Hoodia plants has become of interest.[0003]Typically, plants are reproduced by collecting and then planting the seeds. Growing Hoodia from seeds, however, takes a longer period from plant...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]The inventive process is an effective, commercially suitable alternative to growing Hoodia plants from seeds. The inventive process is based, in part, on the discovery that the type and relative amounts of cytokinin and auxin (when the latter is present) are critical in order to attain Hoodia plantlets with at least one new shoot, preferably 3 to 7 shoots, preferably with an average of at least 3 shoots, more preferably with an average of a...

Problems solved by technology

Many of these species, e.g. Hoodia gordonii, are on the endangered list, so that collection of the wild plants is not possible.

Growing Hoodia from seeds, however, takes a longer period from planting to harvesting and plants that are propagated from seeds have a higher probability of early witting and death, for instance caused by some seed and soil borne pathogens belonging to the genus (Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Phytophthora and Fusarium species).

Furthermore, the tissue culture method results in a more exact “cloning” of the genetic profile of a parent plant, allowing cultivation and bulking of an elite line of plants with genetic conformity, over a relatively short period of time.

Unfortunately, identifying the various tissue culture conditions which result in successful propagation, can be extremely difficult and is mostly an empirical process.

Although general tissue culture techniques have been known since 1950s, there is considerable difficulty in predicting the effects of plant growth regulators: this is because of the great differences in culture response between species, cultivars, and even plants of the same cultivar grown under different conditions.